Magnetic force welder



' Filed March 22, 1961 Aug. 13, 1963.. r

M.WAKELEY: 3,100,831: MAGNETIC FORGE WELDER s Shets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. William M.Wakeley Attorney Aug. w M. WAKELYEY MAGNETIC FORCE WELDER,

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 22, 1961 'INVENTOR. William M. Wukeley.

XMM j Aug. 13, 1963; .w 3,100,831

4 MAGNETIC FORCE WELDER "Filed March 22. 1961 l t2 7 I. I L I 4 H, ll".

- 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 SQUEEZE l4 a v i O I 23 40f '78 I IIOIIIIIIIII v I fin b G l I l L r 19 WELD TIMER :qfl 5 \1 I I .T P HEAT CONTROL as g I l 43 i 5 INVENTOR.

William M.Wukeley common I 8W Attorney 3,100,831 MAGNETEC FORCE WELDE William M. Walreley, Milwaukee, Wis assignor to Acro Welder Mtg. (10., Milwaukee, Wis, a corporation Wisconsin Filed Mar. 22, B61, Ser. No. 97,582

28 Claims. (Cl. 219-86) This invention relates to welding machines and particularly, to the control of the welding force and current.

The increasing use of complex metals inthe fabrication of modern appliances has presented a number of problems to the welding industry. One of these problems is the requirement for a machine which can provide a variety of combinations of pressure and current. This problem'is further increased by the dilferent sizes and shapes of the metals being Welded. The development of magnetic force welders has resulted in better control in the application of force and welding current, but this development has been limited somewhat to the larger welding operations.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a Welding machine which can be adapted to weld a large variety of metals of various sizes and shapes.

:Another object of the present invention is to provide a very accurate control for the force applied to the workpiece in amagn-etic force welder.

.Still another object of the present invention is to reduce friction to a minimum in a magnetic force welder.

A further object isto provide a magnetic force welder with a selectively operable supplementary force device which is responsive to the application of electrode current.

Still another object of the present invention" is to provide a Welding machine in which all of the movements and forces applied to the workpiece are magnetically controlled.

A still further object is to provide a magnetic force welder having a relatively short electrode shaft for supporting the moving electrode in the welder.

Another object is to provide an electrode shaft for a magnetic force welder of increased strength and reduced resistance to longitudinal motion of the shaft.

Another object is to provide a magnetic force welder which is electrically controlled in all of its functions.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a movable electrode arrangement which isnot affected by electrode skid. l

These objects are accomplished by securing an electrode to atubular spindle mounted for reciprocation between a pair of longitudinally spaced linear ball bearings; A pair of direct current coils are mounted in spaced relation adjacent to an armature rigidly secured to the spindle.

set up in the coil.

moved the electrode into position to engage the work-piece 3"1 3 1 Patented Aug. 13, 1963 sure of a predetermined amplitude on the parts being Welded in accordance with the requirements of the par- 7 during follow-up motion of the armature and spindle'to compensate for any increase in the area of the Weld as the workpiece collapses. The control circuit for the application of welding current can also be set to provide a conventional resistance welding current, a high amplitude short durationpulse current or a multiple number of current pulses at the electrodes.

Other objects and advantages will be pointed out in, or be apparent from, the specification and claims, as will obvious modifications of the single embodiment shown in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view partly in section showing the electrodes in an inoperative position;

FIG. 2is a front view of the welder with the cover removed;

FIG. 3 is talsen on line 33 of FIG. .2 showing the armature guide; and

FIG. 4 shows thcgcircuit diagram for the welder.

Referring to the drawings now indetail, the welder includes a base plate 10 having a vertical mounting plate 12 secured to the base plate by screws 14. An electrically nonconductive insulation 16 and 17 is used to separate the mounting plate from the base plate. A fixed electrode 18 is clamped by screws it in an electrode holder 22 which is rigidly secured to the base plate by screws 24. A movable electrode assembly 26 is clamped to the vertical mounting plate by cap screws 28 projecting through a tie bar 3% on the back of the mounting plate.

The movable electrode assembly includes an upper cap 32 and a lower cap 34- mounted on a lock-in shaft 36.' A lift coil 38 and a pressure coil 40 are mounted on the lock-in shaft between the caps and are separated by an armature guide 42 clamped on the shaft by screw The electrode on the spindle is closed with a stationary electrode by energizing one of-the coils from a direct current bridge rectifier to attract the armature to- 'ward the stationary electrode due to the magnetic field The force exerted on the armature. .will be substantially constant throughout the welding and welding current has been initiated across the elec- I trodes. The direct current coils are electrically controlled independently ofthe electrodes to provide a constant pres- 44. The end caps, coils and guide are rigidly clamped on the'shaft by nut '46. The axial alignment of the end caps is maintained by keys ts secured to the caps by screws 50 and are vertically movable in groove 52 in the mounting plate. l

A tubular non-magnetic spindle 54 is vertically movable in linear ball bearings 56 mounted in holes 58 in the end caps. An electrode holder '39 is' inserted into the lower end of the spindle and has an upper welding elecrt-rode 37 secured therein by bolts 35. The upper end of the spindle is closed-by a cap 59 and-projects into an air cushion housing 60 sealed to the upper cap. A needle valve '62 is'used to control the flow of air into. and out of the air cushion housing to provide a dashpot action when the spindle is moved up or down in the bearings.

A cover panel 41 is normally provided to enclose the upper and lower caps and the spindle.

An armature 64 is rigidly secured to the spindle by pin' 66 and is movable between the upper and lower caps-to raise or lower the upper electrode. rectangular in shape and has a smooth'flat surface 68 on its outer face. Rollers 70 are mounted on the arms 72 of the armature guide to engage the outer edges of the flat surface of the armature and prevent rotarymo-tion of the spindle with respect to the frame and at the same time offers no resistance to longitudinal movement. of

I, theelectrode shaft. This is essential since any misalignment of the electrodes while under pressure Will create turning moments inrthe spindle; producing electrode skid. When small parts are to be welded, it is desirable to have the electrodes mounted in front of the axis of the spindle (shown dotted in FIG. 1) where this tendency is much greater due to the addition of a moment 7 The armature is;

' eter of the spindle.

arm between the electrodes and the axis of the spindle. Bending forces which are created in the spindle due to any misalignment of the electrodes or due to the position of the electrodes in front of the spindle are resisted by the longitudinal displacement of the linear ball bearings along the axis of the spindle and the relatively large diam- These two features combine to provide a very rigid structure even when the electrodes are not axially aligned with the axis of the spindle.

A supplemental force coil 74 is positioned in the frame between the armature guide and lower end cap and surrounds the periphery of the armature when the spindle is moved downward. The supplemental coil is energized simultaneously with the energizing of the electrodes to increase the strength of the magnetic field during a welding operation. This increase in magnetic field strength is used to provide a substantial increase in force on the electrodes after the welding current has been applied to produce a forging pressure on the workpiece if desired.

Referring to FIG. 4 the wiring diagram for the welder shows a sequence control 76, a weld timer 80 and a heat control 82 all connected across the line L L The sequence control includes a transformer 84 having its secondary winding connected to terminals 85 and 87 of a selenium bridge rectifier 86 for supplying direct current through resistor 89 and capacitor 91 to the lift coil 38 and the pressure coil 40. A normally closed switch 88 is provided in the lift coil circuit to energize the lift coil while in a standby condition. On energization of the lift coil, a magnetic field will be set up in the upper cap, lock-in shaft-and armature guide. The armature will have a tendency to close the gap between the upper cap and the armature guide, moving the spindle and elec- I overheating.

A normally open switch 81 is provided in the pressure coil circuit with a rheostat 79 connected to control the current to the pressure coil andconsequently the amount of electrode force. A second normally open switch 77 is providedin a shunt circuit 75 for variable resistor 83 which is actuated simultaneously with switch 81.

Switches 77, 81 and 88 are interconnected for manual actuation by a foot switch or the like. Normally, switch 88 is opened prior to 'closing of switches 77 and 81 to allow the spindle to move down-ward before the pressure coil is energized. Switches 77 and 81 are then closed to produce current flow in the pressure coil in accordance with the setting of rheostat 79. A magnetic field will now be set up in the lower end cap, lock-in shaft and armature guide. This shift in the magnetic field will now produce a downward tendency in the armature. The

distance'the lower end of the armature is from the lower end cap will determine the initial force on the electrodes.

Normally, it is desirable to allow the electrode pressure to build up to the desired level before initiating the welding current. This is accomplished by a squeeze circuit 73 which is connected in parallel with the pressure coil and includes a relay 71 connected in parallel with a' capacitor 69 which is used to control the closing of the relay. The time in which capacitor 69 is changed is determined by a rheostat 67. When the capacitor is charged the "relay will close simultaneously, closing normally open switch 78, initiating the operation of the weld timer to control the current flow to the electrodes.

After a weld has been completed, switches 77 and '81 are opened and switch 88 closed to release the mag.-

netic force on the work and return the electrode to the standby position. Since a higher current is required to return "the electrode spindle to the standby position than is'required to hold the spindle in the standby position, relay'71 includes a normally open switch in a shunt circuit "-63 to bypass switch 77, and a normally closed switch 61 .in series with the switch 88. When the. relay opens, switch 65 will open and switch 61 will close. The I capacitor 91 will immediately discharge across the lift coil, providing a maximum flow of current through the lift coil, returning the spindle to the inoperative position.

Variable resistor 83 will reduce the current in the lift coil circuit to a value sufficient to provide a holding current in the lift coil. The reduction in current will prevent any tendency for the lift coil to overheat if the spindle is held in the inoperative position for an extended period of time.

- Electrode current is impressed across the electrodes after the pressure coil has been allowed to build up the desired pressure on the workpiece. The weld timer 80 is energized by the closing of delay relay 71 which simultaneously closes normally open switch 78 in the weld timer circuit. The operation of the weld timer, heat con-" trol and 'contactor 57 are generally known and understoodin the art and are therefore only shown schematically.

The current flow from the contactor flows through a threeway selector switch 55 which can be turned to engage a conventional welding circuit contact 53, a spike welding circuit contact 51 or a pulse welding circuit contact 4?. The current flows from the selector switch to atap switch 47 and then to the primary coil '45 of a'welding transformer. The secondary coil 43 is connected to the welding electrodes 18 and 3-7. Selector switch 33- is connected in the secondary coil circuit to selectively connect sup-plementary force coil 31 in series with the secondary coil,

circuit for the electrodes when a supplementary force is desired momentarily after the application of the welding current. The weld timer is designed to provide /2 to 30' cycles of current to the contactor. With switch 55 closed withcontact 53 a conventional resistance weldingoperation can be performed with the machine. It will be obvious that projection welding operations can be readily performed with this arrangement. 7

When switch 55 is turned to engage the spike welding circuit contact 51, capacitor 29 will be connected in series with the welding transformer primary and dischargeresistor 27 will be in parallel with the primary coil and the capacitor. A continuous pulsing current of variable am plitude and short duration will be applied to the primary coil of the welding transformer which can be used forproducing a spike welding operation across the electrodes. The amplitudes of the spike can be varied by phase'shifting the tubes of the contactor or by turning the tap switch for the Welding transformer to increase or decrease the number of turns in the primary coil, By coordinating the increase of direct current on the pressure coil with the number of spike pulses delivered to the electrodes, the

electrode force on the workpiece can be increased linearly. The supplementary coil'wou'ld normally be by-passed for a spike welding operation, but could be used fora specific purpose if desired.

Turning switch 55 to the pulse welding circuit contact-' 4% will connect the pulse welding circuit 25 in parallel with the capacitor 29. The pulse welding circuit includes a transformer 23 having its primary winding connected across'the line L L and its secondary winding connected in series with a rectifier 21 and a limiting resistor 19'. A

number of voltage regulating tubes 31 are connected in parallel with the secondary winding circuit and are controlled .by a selector switch 15. It can be'seen that the capacitor willbe precharged by the rectifier to a value de- 'terminedl=by the setting of switch 15.3 The higher the.

charge on the capacitor, the smaller the amplitudeof current that will be allowed .to'flow to the primary'of the This delay will allow capacitor 91 to become I provide a pulse having an amplitude of from 100 to 10,000 amperes for a duration of /2 to 4 milliseconds. ,By

value sufficient to hold the spindle against theftop or the dashpot cap'by resistance 83. The selector switch .55 is turned to the desired welding operation, tap switch 4'7, weld timer 8t) and heat control 82 are then set to the desired positions; Rheostat 79 is turned to the desired weld pressure and the rheostat 67 is turned to set the time delay for the initiation of weld current. The workpiece is placed between the electrodes and switch 88 opened to deenergize the lift coil. Switches 77 and 81 are closed after opening switch 88 or may be delayed in closing until the spindle moves downward due to the force of gravity to bring the electrodes into engagement with the workpiece. Needle valve 62 can be adjusted to retard the downward motion of the spindle, preventing the upper electrode firom denting the workpiece. I I The distance between the lower face of the armature and the magnetic'pole in the lower end cap will be determined by the thickness of the workpiece. This distance can be varied by adjusting the electrodes in the electrode holder to provide a desired initial pressure and-follow-up pressure. Since the force on the workpiece increases as the distance of the armature from the lower end cap decreases, it becomes important to know this distance to obtain a desired pressure on the workpiece. A pointer 33 is provided on the outer face of the armature to indicate L'the gap between the armature and the lower end-cap. The

adjustment of the rheostat'will provide a constantflow of current through the pressure coil, thus providing a constant force on the. electrodes. The rheostat may be re- I placed by a transistor circuit to provideia faster control of the'direct coil current. Energizing of 'the' pressure coil will also charge capacitor69 and close'relay 71 a short time later. The charging time of the capacitor is determined by the setting of rheostat 67, thereby allowing the electrodesfto itsquceze the workpiece momentarilyv before initiating the operation of the Weld timer. Closing. of the relay closes normally open switch '78,.startlng the operation of the weld timer and the flow of current across theelectrodes in accordance'with the type of operation selected by switch 55. I i i Where a projection type welding operation is beingper formed by the machine, the magnetic gap between the armature and lower end cap isjof particular importance.

At the completion of the welding operation, switches 77 and 81 are opened and switch 88 closed, A slight time delay will occur before the spindle moves up, due to the dischargingof capacitor 69. During this period capacitor 91 Will be fully charged and will discharge across the lift coil when the relay opens, as described above, producing maximum current flow in the lift coil.

Although but a single embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, it will be 7 apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may bemade therein without depart-,

ing from the spirit of the'invention or from the scope of the app-ended claims.

I claim; 7 V 1. A welding machine comprising, a frame including a stationary electrode, a spindle mounted in the frame for movement toward and away from the stationary electrode, an electrode carrier positioned at one end of the spindle for supporting a movable. electrode, electromagnetic means supported by the frame for biasing the spindle toward the stationary electrode with a predetermined pressure to clampa workpiece therebetween, and means for passing an electrode current through the electrodes after a predetermined pressure has been established on the electrodes,said electromagnetic meansincluding means for exerting a lifting force on the spindle after the welding operation to release the workpiece. from between the electrodes.

2. A welding machine according to claim 1 wherein said electromagnetic means includes a pair of magnetic coils longitudinally spaced along the \axis of the spindle.

. 3; A Welding machine according to claim 2 including an armature secured to the spindle for movement between the coils.

4. A welding. machine according to claim 3 including a guide means-secured to the frame in operative engagement with the armature to prevent rotary motion of the spindle,

5. A welding machineaccording to. claim 1 wherein piece."

6. A welding machine comprising, a, frame, a stationary electrode secured to said frame, a hollow spindle supported for reciprocal motion on said frame, a pair of electromagnetic coils longitudinally spaced on said frame relative .to saidspindle, an. electrode carried by said spindle, electric circuit means for energizing one of said coils with adirect current to hold the movable electrode against a workpiece clamped between the electrodes with a predetermined force, and means for supplying welding current to the electrodes, said electric circuit means in- The flowof current across the elect'rodeswill increase the temperatureof the workpieceuntil-the metal begins to melt. The workpiece will collapse between the electrodes and the spindle will follow-up instantly, due to the force of the magnetic field onthe armature. .Frict-ion between the spindle and frame'is reduced toa minimum .by the 1 .linear ball bearings, so that 'fol-low-upmotionis very fast.

This reduces the gap between the armature and the lower end cap, increasing the pressureon the work, even though the current through the pressurecoil remains constant.

In a projection type weld, the area of engagme-nt between" theworkpieces increases with the collapse of the metal so that the increase of force on the electrodesdue to the closing of the gap bet-weenthe armature andilo wer end cap willautom atically compensateforthisrequirement with- I out the necessity adjustable to I provide 1 a tingof theweld timer. Percussion welding may also be of the current and pressure.

performed in the present system by' the proper. selection eluding a delay circ-uitfor delaying thesapplication of Weld current .until the biasing force has been applied to lthe electrodes fora predetermined period of time. f

ing operation. 8. A welding machine comprising, a frame, a stationary electrode secured to said :frame, apair of magnetic coils supported by said frame, an armature mounted for re ciprooal motion in said frame and movable between said coils,electrodesupported by said armature, means for energizing one of the coils with a direct current from an alternating current source to move the armature toward the stationary electrode to clamp a workpiece between thejelectrodes, and means for setting the armature with respect to the frame to provide an increasing foroeon the I workpiece'during the follow-up motion of the welding operation. V

9.. .A weldingmachine according to claim 8 wherein said frame includes means openatively engaging the arma- I ture to prevent any rotary motion of the armature and allows frictionless longitudinal motion of the armature.

10. A welding machine according to claim 9 wherein said energizing means includes means for energizing the other coil to move the electrode away from the stationary electrode.

11. A welding machine according to claim 8 including means for applying a welding current across the electrodes independent of the application of the welding force.

' 12.'An electric circuit for a magnetic force welding 'machine having spaced electrodes adapted to receive a workpiece between them, one electrode being stationary and the other movable relative thereto in response to the energization of one or the other of a pair of electromagnetic coils comprising, a first means for supplying a con- .tinuous fiow of direct current to one of the coils to bias said first means includes a bridge rectifier means for converting the alternating potential from the source to a direct potential at the said one coil to provide a constant and continuous force on the electrodes weld.

14 An electric circuit according to claim 13 wherein said secondmeans includes electric circuits for elfecting one of a number of selectable welding operations on the workpiece including pulse, spike or conventional resistance welding operations.

.15. An electriccircuit according to claim 14 wherein said control means comprises'a capacitor relay delay circuit.

16. A welding machine comprising, a frame, a stationary electrode secured to said frame, a movable electrode mounted in said frame for movement toward and away from said stationary electrode to clamp a workpiece therethroughout the between, means for establishing a magnetic field in said as the distance of said one face from said one pole decreases, said armature being responsive to said magnetic field to apply a predetermined pressure between said electrodes.

ii former having primary and secondary windings, said secondary winding being connected to the electrodes, a source of alternating potential, said primary being connected to said source, a control device connected in series with said primary to control the flow of current from said source to said primary, means connected to said control device and said primary to provide a current pulse of predetermined amplitude and duration, said pulse means including a capacitive member connected in series with the control device and the primary windings, and an electric cincuit means connected in parallel with the capacitor and including a second transformer having a primary winding connected to the source and a secondary winding connected in parallel with the capacitive member, a rectifier connected in series with the secondary winding of the second transformer, and a number of voltage regulating tubes connected in parallel with the rectifier and secondary winding, and switch means for selectively actuating the voltage regulating tubes to control theprecharge on the capactive member. I

21. A welding machine comprising, a frame having upper and lower frame members, a stationary electrode secured to said frame, a tubular electrode mounted in said frame for movement toward and away from said stationary electrode, an armature secured to said tubular electrode for movement between said frame members, and a third frame member mounted on said frame between said upper and lower frame members and including means for limiting the motion of the armature to axial motion.

22. A welding machine according to claim 21 including a pair of coils mounted on said frame in a predetermined relation to said frame members, means for ener gizing one of said coils to produce a magnetic field in one of the frame members to move the armature towardthe second magnetic field in the other frame member to move the armature toward the other frame member, said third frame member forming. a common magnetic path for 17. A welding machine according to claim 16 including means for pre-setting the initial position of the said one face of the armature with respect to one of the magnetic poles set up in the magnetic frame whereby .the force between .the electrodes increases as the workpiece collapses. 7

away from said stationary electrode to clamp a workpiece therebetween, means for establishing magnetic fields in said frame, magnetic'means secured'to said movable electrode, said magnetic means being responsive to one of said magnetic fields to apply a-predetermined pressure V the useofthe welding current. 1 j

a 20. An electric circuit fora magnetic force welding machine having spaced electrodes adapted to receive a workpiece therebetween comprising, -a welding trans- 18. A welding machine comprising, a frame, a stav v tionary electrode secured to said frame, a movable electrode mounted in saidframe for movement toward and betweensaid electrodes, said means for establishing magboth magnetic fields. p

23. Awelding machine according to claim 22 includ ing a third coil mounted on said frame to increase the magnetic forceproduced in the said one frame member when welding current is applied to the electrodes.

24. A welding machine according to-c1aim21 including dashpot means for cushioning the motion of the hollow electrode both toward and away from said stationary electrode. I I

25. A welding machine according to spindle after the spindle has been moved completely away from the workpiece.

26. An electric circuit for a magnetic welder according] 1 to claim '20 including shunt circuit means for bypassing the capacitive member to provide a conventional welding current across the electrodes and switch means for se-v lectively bypassing the capacitive member. I

27. An electric circuit according to claim 26 including a resistance member connected in parallel with the capacitive member and the primary winding of the welding transformerto provide a spike welding current across the electrodes, said switch means beingadapted to be selecmember, the shunt circuit' or the resistance circuit. I C 28. "An electric circuit according to claim 20 including.

tively engagable with either the capacitive electromagnetic" means for providing a welding force between. the electrodes independent'of the application of 1,327,792 Thornton Ian. 13, 1920 claim 1 wherein said electromagnetic meansincludes means for automatically reducing the electromagnetic liftingjforce of 'the Friesen -O-ct. 9, 1934' 2,256,209 Levoy -Sept. '16, 194i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,100,831 August 13, 1963 William Wakeley It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 8 ]inc 10, for "windings" read winding line is] for "of" P136 on Signed and scales this 11th day of February 1964.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST w. SWIDER EDWIN REYNOLDS Attesting Officer AC g Commissioner of Patents 

1. A WELDING MACHINE COMPRISING, A FRAME INCLUDING A STATIONARY ELECTRODE, A SPINDLE MOUNTED IN THE FRAME FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE STATIONARY ELECTRODE, AN ELECTRODE CARRIER POSITIONED AT ONE END OF THE SPINDLE FOR SUPPORTING A MOVABLE ELECTRODE, ELECTROMAGNETIC MEANS SUPPORTED BY THE FRAME FOR BIASING THE SPINDLE TOWARD THE STATIONARY ELECTRODE WITH A PREDETERMINED PRESSURE TO CLAMP A WORKPIECE THEREBETWEEN, AND MEANS FOR PASSING AN ELECTRODE CURRENT THROUGH THE ELECTRODES AFTER A PREDETERMINED PRESSURE HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED ON THE ELECTRODES, SAID ELECTROMAGNETIC MEANS INCLUDING MEANS FOR EXERTING A LIFTING FORCE ON THE SPINDLE AFTER THE WELDING OPERATION TO RELEASE THE WORKPIECE FROM BETWEEN THE ELECTRODES. 